I should take a picture of my finger (guess which one), place it in the public domain, and send it to all **AA organizations.
This freely-distributable, public domain, royalty free image will present a far more powerful message than any of the current valueless pop-culture tripe that **AA is so adamant about protecting.
I have to wonder if one of the plaintiffs clients is Amazon.com and/or Jeff Bezos.
I don't see how these guys are going to get anything other than some $TFU money... if even that. Google has deep enough pockets right now to brush back anyone that steps up to them. Look at how they are going toe-to-toe against Microsoft in the poaching case.
It's silly for them to try and pursue this. It is no less silly, IMHO, than if I were to try and challenge God Almighty by claiming the digital rights to sunshine.
Who modded this comment down?!
on
Xbox 360 for $300
·
· Score: 0, Redundant
My comment was NOT "Offtopic"...
It should have been easy to understand what I implied... that I did not need to get an Xbox 360 because I already have a PS2, that I hardly have time to play with as it is.
Whomever modded my comment down... that was not very nice... or necessary.
Not this time, thanks...
on
Xbox 360 for $300
·
· Score: 0, Offtopic
I have a PS2 and about a dozen games, which is good enough for me... whenever I have any time to play them.
I have read the 8 replies to my OP (as of this writing).
I was afraid some people would mischaracterize my comments, and I was right.
I said it is Cisco's "primary goal" to turn over equipment and make money. I did NOT say it was their ONLY goal.
Some mentioned I do not respect (or understand) the shareholder system. While I do not own CSCO, I do own other companies. I know full well about how shareholders make thier voices heard.
Some presume that raising an issue like this will make the issue snowball on the Cisco board and make them roll over and say "OK China, we won't sell you any more equipment until you respect human rights."
I say, with all due respect, to those of you that really think that is going to happen... that you're out of your friggin' minds.
Consider the financial COSTs of a couple things here. The cost of the bad PR that these dissident shareholders are bringing to CSCO. (I would daresay they are damaging thier own company.) Consider the cost of lost business if Cisco pulled out... and also consider that if Cisco did, someone else will surely step in to sell their own hardware.
Again, I say... Cisco is not in the business of telling governments how to run their affairs. They are simply selling equipment. If that equipment is allowing Cisco's customer to do something nefarious, well... you can claim they are an accesory if that makes you feel good. I say they are simply Maximizing Shareholder Value.
It is a business of network equipment. It has the primary goal of turning over as much equipment as it can, and make as much money as it can... what's the phrase? "Maximizing Shareholder Value".
It's not Cisco's prerogative to try and tell ANY government how to draw up policy... all they need to do is keep selling hardware... at a profit.
If a couple shareholders don't like it, buy them out and tell them to move on. Seriously.
Sure... just write a law that makes it illegal, that'll solve the problem.
Just like anything else that was outlawed.
* We have no more spam, since it was outlawed a short while ago. * We have no illicit drugs, either, right? * We temporarily "eradicated" alcohol. Remember that from your history classes? * Hell, we've eliminated ALL illegal criminal activity by simply legislating them away. * Et cetera, ad nauseam, ad absurdum.
Copy-protection schemes have been devised - and defeated - ever since people have figured out how to make money - and avoid paying - from software sales of all kinds.
An image is an image is an image, whether it is the ISO, or the "doctored" ISO that is burned onto a disc. Even "original" discs that are "pressed" at a factory have to come from a "master... copy".
It won't take long for this to be circumvented... just like every scheme that has come before.
Ok, fine. I hereby declare that I have patented everything that has not been patented yet.
I just gotta get my staff to write legalistic-sounding descriptions for everything (as if I had personally invented them), and get them over to the USPTO.
In the meantime, all of you please send me your mailing addresses so I can forward the royalty bills (I patented those, too).
As if seeing Qui-Gon Jinn being run through and Darth Maul cut completely in half wouldn't be disturbing enough to some kids (or even a few adults)... or how about Anakin's hand arm being cut off? Or Luke's?
And those were just PG?
And some of the discussion between Anakin and Amidala about thier "first times"?
And that movie was NOT PG-13?
Lucas is using the whole ratings "controversy" as yet another way to get more free publicity!
Slashdot Mirror
I should take a picture of my finger (guess which one), place it in the public domain, and send it to all **AA organizations.
This freely-distributable, public domain, royalty free image will present a far more powerful message than any of the current valueless pop-culture tripe that **AA is so adamant about protecting.
I have to wonder if one of the plaintiffs clients is Amazon.com and/or Jeff Bezos.
I don't see how these guys are going to get anything other than some $TFU money... if even that. Google has deep enough pockets right now to brush back anyone that steps up to them. Look at how they are going toe-to-toe against Microsoft in the poaching case.
It's silly for them to try and pursue this. It is no less silly, IMHO, than if I were to try and challenge God Almighty by claiming the digital rights to sunshine.
Is it just me, or does it seem that nobody has anything to say on
Did
If Xerox had patented this.
My comment was NOT "Offtopic"...
It should have been easy to understand what I implied... that I did not need to get an Xbox 360 because I already have a PS2, that I hardly have time to play with as it is.
Whomever modded my comment down... that was not very nice... or necessary.
I have a PS2 and about a dozen games, which is good enough for me... whenever I have any time to play them.
I have read the 8 replies to my OP (as of this writing).
I was afraid some people would mischaracterize my comments, and I was right.
I said it is Cisco's "primary goal" to turn over equipment and make money. I did NOT say it was their ONLY goal.
Some mentioned I do not respect (or understand) the shareholder system. While I do not own CSCO, I do own other companies. I know full well about how shareholders make thier voices heard.
Some presume that raising an issue like this will make the issue snowball on the Cisco board and make them roll over and say "OK China, we won't sell you any more equipment until you respect human rights."
I say, with all due respect, to those of you that really think that is going to happen... that you're out of your friggin' minds.
Consider the financial COSTs of a couple things here. The cost of the bad PR that these dissident shareholders are bringing to CSCO. (I would daresay they are damaging thier own company.) Consider the cost of lost business if Cisco pulled out... and also consider that if Cisco did, someone else will surely step in to sell their own hardware.
Again, I say... Cisco is not in the business of telling governments how to run their affairs. They are simply selling equipment. If that equipment is allowing Cisco's customer to do something nefarious, well... you can claim they are an accesory if that makes you feel good. I say they are simply Maximizing Shareholder Value.
It is a business of network equipment. It has the primary goal of turning over as much equipment as it can, and make as much money as it can... what's the phrase? "Maximizing Shareholder Value".
It's not Cisco's prerogative to try and tell ANY government how to draw up policy... all they need to do is keep selling hardware... at a profit.
If a couple shareholders don't like it, buy them out and tell them to move on. Seriously.
I mean, puh-leeze...
Wan't the face... any face, smiley, frown or otherwise... a creation of the Almighty?
Ah, never mind...
How the U.S. Government has been saying "asta la VISTA" to our taxpayer dollars.
Sorry. Had to say it...
One finger conveys enough information already without laser etching or anything else.
I hear that Bezos has applied for a patent on the 10-year anniversary.
But that would infringe on my patent on anniversaries.
Sure... just write a law that makes it illegal, that'll solve the problem.
Just like anything else that was outlawed.
* We have no more spam, since it was outlawed a short while ago.
* We have no illicit drugs, either, right?
* We temporarily "eradicated" alcohol. Remember that from your history classes?
* Hell, we've eliminated ALL illegal criminal activity by simply legislating them away.
* Et cetera, ad nauseam, ad absurdum.
Riiiighht...
I claim ownership and patent to the entire process of human indigation of all ridiculous patents that are OBVIOUSLY based on prior fscking art.
Copy-protection schemes have been devised - and defeated - ever since people have figured out how to make money - and avoid paying - from software sales of all kinds.
An image is an image is an image, whether it is the ISO, or the "doctored" ISO that is burned onto a disc. Even "original" discs that are "pressed" at a factory have to come from a "master... copy".
It won't take long for this to be circumvented... just like every scheme that has come before.
I meant to say that. There was flatulence in the Force.
Ok, fine. I hereby declare that I have patented everything that has not been patented yet.
I just gotta get my staff to write legalistic-sounding descriptions for everything (as if I had personally invented them), and get them over to the USPTO.
In the meantime, all of you please send me your mailing addresses so I can forward the royalty bills (I patented those, too).
With the shuttle nearing obsolescence and this kind of substantial problem on the ISS, it shows just how fragile our space program(s) still are.
We need better, sturdier-designed equipment if we are going to make a serious go at space exploration.
Imagine if something like this happened on the way to Mars... Saturn... HD 2638 b...
Why wouldn't the payload data be encrypted in the first place?
After all, we are talking about sending packets over public lines.
Am I missing something here?
Why not have a publication select a number of sources at random and check them?
Why not check them all? How long can it take to parse a submitted piece and run an app that automates Google searches for similar (or identical) text?
As if seeing Qui-Gon Jinn being run through and Darth Maul cut completely in half wouldn't be disturbing enough to some kids (or even a few adults)... or how about Anakin's hand arm being cut off? Or Luke's?
And those were just PG?
And some of the discussion between Anakin and Amidala about thier "first times"?
And that movie was NOT PG-13?
Lucas is using the whole ratings "controversy" as yet another way to get more free publicity!
And the media, and us, are eating it up...